A man contacted Scioto County Sheriff’s deputies after saying he was injured when a medical transport driver slammed on the brakes, causing him to fall out of his wheelchair.
According to the sheriff’s office report, the incident happened July 23 while the man was riding in a van to a doctor’s appointment.
The man told deputies the driver placed him on the floor of the van after the incident and called for an ambulance.
The sheriff’s office confirmed that its call log showed an EMS lift-assist call in the area of Slate Run Road and State Route 104 that day.
The man said he was not transported by ambulance at the time.
He later contacted deputies because he wanted the incident documented and planned to pursue a civil lawsuit against the transportation company.
Deputies advised him that he could contact Squad 2 to obtain a copy of its report from the original call.
Officers also gathered information for a sheriff’s office report.
The information provided does not specify the extent of the man’s injuries or explain how his wheelchair was secured inside the van.
No arrest or criminal charge was listed.
The complaint raises an important safety concern for people who depend on wheelchair-accessible transportation to get to medical appointments. A sudden stop can be dangerous for any passenger, but someone riding in a wheelchair depends on the vehicle’s restraint system to keep both the chair and the passenger secure.
In this case, the man says a routine trip to the doctor ended with him on the floor of a transport van.